The injury bug bit Boston’s back end so much in the 2009-10 season, a lot of doors of opportunity opened for a young defenseman to grad some NHL experience.

Adam McQuaid barged right through that door and proved he could be a pretty reliable third-pair player.

McQuaid, who this summer re-signed for two years with Boston as a restricted free agent, skated in 19 NHL games and even scored a goal. By the end of the regular season, his dashes for the bench to avoid unfavorable match-ups became less panicked and necessary.

In those contests, he proved more than anything that he’s tough. He dropped the gloves three times against some fellow NHL heavyweights. He also made some strides in his decision-making as he got more comfortable playing at the game’s highest level.

The speed of the playoffs looked a bit too quick for McQuaid, and we’ll never know if he would’ve caught up because he suffered an injury in Game 3 against Philadelphia and missed the rest of the series. His shutdown abilities shown in Providence (AHL) might not completely translate to the NHL, but McQuaid should be able to provide Boston with depth on D the next two seasons. There’s no reason why he can’t carve out a niche as a third-pair, shot-blocking, penalty-killing stay-at-home D-man. Not everyone can be a two-way star.

McQuaid is a “depth guy” ready to step in and play a few minutes when someone gets hurt. And if he can do a credible job then that’s great because he came to the B’s at a very modest cost.

People should stop harping on individual contracts and focus on the fact that PC and his staff are building a team of quality with some real depth. This kid was acquired with a fifth round pick! Anytime you get help from a fifth round pick its a bonus.

Also, whether you like A. Ference or not he isn’t being paid out of line with other established veteran defensemen. So before you rant about getting rid of Ference ask yourself who will you replace him with and at what cost? If your choice is a RFA its going to cost his salary and draft picks or a trade. If he is an UFA then he is likely a veteran that isn’t going to come any cheeper. You saw what Derek Morris cost last summer and he wasn’t such great shakes. There aren’t many bargains in FA.

If guys like McQuaid and Boychuck contribute to this team then you’d have to say that PC and his staff have done some great work. They’ve added depth to this team at some pretty modest cost. Acquiring and developing young players are where the true value lies. It just takes time.

Again, this is not a list of prospects based on overall talent. It is a list of guys who are the most NHL-ready. McQuaid already has NHL experience and will be one of the first call-ups if he doesn’t make the team.

Mediocre d-man are getting old. At his size he should be a lock to be a shut down D, not a possibility. We need to get draft picks and start drafting some d-men who are going to be great. It’s not the toughest position, we should be able to get some real quality within the frist 3 rounds.

It’s players like this in the Bruins’ pipeline that makes some contracts dished out by PC even that much more head-scratching. He may not be ready for full-time playoff duties, but he’s certainly reliable enough for 11-ish minutes per game as a No. 6 blue-liner.